GCSE-readySustainability and the 6 Rs
Every product uses materials and energy, and one day it will be thrown away. Designers can reduce that harm before a product is even made.
Finite and non-finite
Non-finite (renewable) resources can be replaced: wood from managed forests, cotton, wool.
A sustainable design meets our needs without stopping future generations from meeting theirs.
The 6 Rs
| R | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Reduce | Use less material and energy; cut waste and packaging |
| Reuse | Use a product again, for the same or a different purpose |
| Recycle | Process materials so they can be made into new products |
| Rethink | Find a better, less harmful way to solve the problem |
| Refuse | Do not buy or use products that are unnecessary or harmful |
| Repair | Fix a product instead of throwing it away; design it to be easy to repair |
A product's life cycle
The carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases released because of a product.
Planned obsolescence is designing a product to go out of date or stop working after a time, so people buy a new one. It creates waste.
In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in use for as long as possible, then recycled, rather than thrown away.
A Mobius loop symbol (three chasing arrows) means a product can be recycled.
A company sells a phone whose battery cannot be replaced. Use two of the 6 Rs to suggest improvements.
- Repair: design the phone so the battery can be easily replaced.
- This makes the phone last longer, reducing waste.
- Recycle: use materials that can be easily separated and recycled at the end of its life.
Answer: Repair: make the battery replaceable so the phone lasts longer. Recycle: design it to be easily taken apart for recycling.
Finite resources will run out; non-finite resources can be replaced. The 6 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, Refuse, Repair. A life cycle assessment looks at impact from raw materials to disposal. Planned obsolescence creates waste.
- Sustainability
- Meeting our needs without stopping future generations from meeting theirs.
- 6 Rs
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, Refuse and Repair: ways to reduce a product's harm to the environment.
- Life cycle assessment
- A study of a product's environmental impact from raw materials, through making, transport and use, to disposal.
- Planned obsolescence
- Designing a product to go out of date or stop working after a time, so people replace it.
- Circular economy
- Keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible, then recycling them, instead of throwing them away.
- Not “Throw products away”. Refuse in the 6 Rs is about saying no, not rubbish.
- Not “Recycle”. Recycling means processing the material into something new.
Try two quick questions
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2 more questions
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Which of these is a renewable resource?
- Wood from a managed forest
- Crude oil
- Coal
- Natural gas
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Answer: Wood from a managed forest
Trees can be replanted.
In the 6 Rs, what does Rethink mean?
- Throw it away
- Consider whether a product could be designed better for people and the planet
- Fix it
- Melt it down
Show the answer
Answer: Consider whether a product could be designed better for people and the planet
Rethink challenges how products are made and used.
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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.